Medical Illustration & Informatics Overview

If you would like to combine your passion for art with the world of medicine, consider majoring in Medical Illustration and Informatics.

Students typically decide to focus on Medical Illustration or Medical Informatics and take separate classes based on their desired concentration. A Medical Illustration concentration includes classes in graphic design, studio arts, biology, design, anatomy, computer-aided design, and physiology to develop visual tools that aid in medical education.

A concentration in Medical Informatics involves classes in statistics, information technology, legal, ethical, and social issues, and biostatics to learn how to collect and store medical information, so it is readily available to medical professionals. Both of these majors result in careers providing essential information to doctors allowing them to successfully treat their patients.

Required Skills

Students who are interested in pursuing a career in Medical Illustration and Informatics should be critical and analytical thinkers with a background in computers. You will use different software systems to build medical models or collect and analyze information. Students should also be detail oriented and work to ensure illustrations and information is accurate.

A Medical Illustrations and Informatics degree often leads to a to a fulltime career in the medical field. Illustrators work in offices designing a variety of educational tools, while informatics professionals spend their time on the computer working with software and inputting and analyzing data.

Careers

Medical Illustration and Informatics graduates find jobs working for medical companies, hospitals, and medical centers. Medical Illustration graduates have gone on to work for companies that manufacture learning materials to colleges or training aids. Medical Informatics majors are employed by a variety of IT departments in the medical field. This field is growing at an average rate, providing many jobs for recent graduates.